LinkedIn yesterday quietly sent out an email to some of its users announcing that its Network RSS feed will be retired on December 19. The company has thus given a week’s notice for the feature.

For those who have never used it before, the RSS feed allowed users to subscribe to their network updates via an RSS reader. The feed included the latest activity from people in your LinkedIn network, just like the LinkedIn homepage.

There are two main reasons for the feature’s removal. The first is the same one we’ve heard before: LinkedIn says it wants to focus its resources elsewhere (just like Google said when it announced Google Reader’s retirement).

The second isn’t given explicitly, but LinkedIn alludes to it by saying that all updates and content can still be viewed on its website or via its mobile apps. In other words, the company has decided the feature isn’t popular enough to warrant letting users browse content outside its service. Like so many companies before it, LinkedIn wants to keep users on its site.

For reference, here’s the full email:

Dear [redacted],

At LinkedIn, we strive to provide a simple and efficient experience for members so we continually evaluate how our current products and features are being used.

This sometimes means we remove a feature so we can focus our resources on building the best products.

We’ll be retiring the LinkedIn Network RSS Feed on Dec. 19th. All of your LinkedIn updates and content can still be viewed on LinkedIn, or through the LinkedIn mobile app.

Please visit the Help Center for more information about the LinkedIn Network RSS Feed retirement.